Beesley wins damages over gossip claim

Updated 15.23 Mon Mar 17 2008
Keywords: court, damages, libel, gossip, Max Beesley, website

Brit actor Max Beesley has won substantial libel damages after suing a showbiz gossip website.

The company, which circulates a weekly celebrity newsletter to over 360,000 people, claimed Beesley had tried to line up three women to sleep with at a party.

The company - which circulates a weekly celebrity newsletter to over 360,000 people, claimed the actor had tried to line up three women to sleep with at a party

They have now been ordered to pay the Hotel Babylon star an undisclosed figure, after admitting the report was completely untrue and have agreed to publish an apology as well as pay Beesley's costs.

The court heard that Popbitch had alleged that Beesley was at a TV industry party in Cannes when he tried to line up the women, and asked one of them, who said she was not interested in having sex, to go away so that he could find someone else.

The 37-year-old was not at the High Court for the settlement but was represented by his solicitor, Jenny Afia, who told the court, "this story was totally untrue".

She said that the actor requested via his solicitors that the UK-based website correct the position immediately with an apology and damages and, when this was not met, had no option but to commence proceedings.

The company's solicitor, James Quartermaine, said that it sincerely apologised for the embarrassment caused by the defamatory article, which it fully accepted was false.

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